Rhinocort (Budesonide)

Pneumonia, Asthma And Roid Rage

I'm going to lay out all my cards here and tell you I'm having a bit of a rough time, dear reader. For a week now, I've been battling various respiratory ills, and have been to the doc/urgent care 4x in a week. It's been rough. Coughing, sleepless nights. Steroid-induced insomnia and anger. Narcotic-induced malaise. Oh, and jagged breathing and breathless talking. I'm a mess.

Over the weekend, I hit urgent care up on Saturday morning, b/c my chest was so tight and my peak flows (a measurement of how much air I can force out of my lungs) were low according to my peak flow meter. I had a hunch I needed a steroid taper pack as well as the inhaled steroid I was on. The urgent care doc was wonderful (she sounds exactly like Paula Deen) and she agreed that I was a hot mess and tight as can be in my lungs. I got nebulized 3x with albuterol and albuterol and steroid mixes. She wrote me a script for a prednisone taper pack and 4 hours later the prince and I left. I was worried b/c the nurse was wondering if they were going to transfer me to the ER/hospital.

Today, I had a follow-up appointment with Paula Deen-doctor and she was yet again not pleased with my lungs. I think I had three nebulizers and this time also got some IV steroids (solumedrol) b/c I have been struggling so much. She also wrote a script for a home nebulizer and switched me from Flovent to Advair and recommended another follow-up visit.

I spent Sunday night rattled and awake with albuterol jitters and monitoring my peak flows. In a perfect world, b/c I am 27 and 5'5'', my peak flow would be a 450. My personal best is 400. Anything in the lower 300s is bad news, and below that I have to get my ass to the ER. I've been in the 300s. Sometimes the lower 300s. It's like my chest gets super tight and I can't move enough air. Like, I struggle to get it in, but then it's hard to push it all out. My lungs are tired. I am wiped out.

My new medicine regime goes like this:
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